Yu (surname 于)
Yu (Chinese: 于; pinyin: Yú) is the 82nd surname mentioned in the Hundred Family Surnames. According to the 2006 census of People's Republic of China, it ranks 38th nationally. The name is transliterated as Vuu in Vietnamese but is very rare in Vietnam.
Note that even though the literary usage of the character 於 was simplified to 于 in simplified Chinese, the surname usages of 於 was unchanged. So both are recognized as distinct surnames in both simplified and traditional Chinese.
History
The Yu (于) surname originated from the surname Ji (姬). According to history records, after Zhou Wu Wang (surname Ji) overthrew the Shang Dynasty, he created many dukes. He gave his second son Yu Shu (邘叔) the Yu kingdom (邘国, in present Qinyang in Henan), whose descendants then acquired the surname Yu (于). The Yu lived in Kaifeng and Chenliu areas in Henan for a long period of time, becoming prominent families there. After the Tang (618-907AD) and Song (960-1127 AD) dynasties, Yu families started to move to Huiji (now in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province).[1]
- Yu Jin (于禁) military general under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty
- Kaila Yu (于麗萍) Taiwanese American nude model and pop singer
- Ronny Yu (于仁泰) Chinese director, producer, and movie writer
- Yu Qian (于谦) Chinese Defence Minister of the Ming dynasty
- Yu So Chow (于素秋) Chinese actress
- Yu Zhong (于忠) an official of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty, Northern Wei also known as Wuniuyu Deng (勿忸于登) and Duke Wujing of Lingshou (靈壽武敬公)
- Yu Chenghui (于承惠), veteran Chinese martial artist, action choreographer and actor
- Yu Pinqing (于品卿), Vice-Chairman of the Mongolian United Autonomous Government